'Close-knit' Air Tindi holds memorial for pilots killed in plane crash

Air Tindi president Al Martin says his company is a family, and that family is still reeling from the loss of two of its pilots in an airplane crash two weeks ago.

"We are a small, 200-person company," he said. "It's just such a close-knit company, which in a way is great, when you're trying to come together again. But also it means it hurts more because relationships are so close." 

More than 300 people memorialized Will Hayworth and Zach McKillop, the two pilots who died in a plane crash in January.

Tlicho Grand Chief George Mackenzie attended. After the memorial Mackenzie said pilots in the North keep the communities connected and safe.

"We don't know them, but we know them through the work that they do in the communities," he said. "They play an important role. The elders have said ... we always will pray for the pilots."

Hayworth, 36, and McKillop, 28, were flying a King Air 200 aircraft from Yellowknife to Whati on the day of the crash. The pilots were the only people on board.

Air Tindi hosted the event Friday at its base in Yellowknife. It was open to the public and the airline live-streamed the celebration via its Facebook page.

Among those to deliver speeches was Amber Thelen, sister-in-law to Hayworth.

"Will was loved by many and will be missed," she said. "He leaves behind many broken hearts ... we're going to miss everything about Will."

Lindsay McKillop, Zach's sister, also spoke.

"You were truly one of a kind," she said about her brother. "As I look out into this crowd of people, it's so clear that you've touched more lives than you ever thought possible."

Hayworth and McKillop's aircraft went missing on Jan. 30, but search efforts were hampered by weather. The crashed plane was later spotted, and Canadian Rangers were sent to the scene. The next day RCMP announced that there were no survivors in the crash. 

Investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder from the wreckage of the plane crash earlier this week. The recorder will be sent to Ottawa for analysis.

Instead of flowers, Air Tindi says people can donate to GoFundMe pages set up for McKillop and Hayworth.